The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-03-25

to be obeyed This seems to me the most
serious and most honorable business Of
life, to convert our present positive convic-
ton of what is right into character and
right habits of thought, right habits Of
feeling, Of speech and of conduct. If if is
the best gift ot the universe 10 man, he
is most thoroughly in harmony with the
universe who obeys it. If it may be re-
garded as something that is constantly i'm
proving then the life that grows from con-
formity to it is a life of perpetual i'm
provement. Is there not need of this
obedience? | cannot think Of a single
thing within the reasonable reach of hu-
man nature that is so much needed on the
globe to-day as the universal obedience to
the present positive conviction of what is
right. When think Of the absence of clear,
persistent, universal instruction upon this
point, the need seems to me to be i'm
mense. You will frequently meet people
who seem to be very much more eager to
have all elaborate creed than pure heart:
more eager to convert others to their own
way of thinking than to convert their
own convictions into character: who are
frequently willing to give their money to
send missionary to teach principles
which they profess to possess and to believe.
when you are reasonably convinced that
they are not reducing those principles to
practice. Is there not need when in the
church you hear questions like these: how
can we get big congregation, how
may we obtain better music, more at
service ," rather than ''how can T become
a better man; how can become a better
woman, a better child And in society.
outside of the church: chow will we get
money chow will we get position:' in
stead of chow will We build moral char
acter.' How seldom you see in real every
day life that appreciation of the supreme
value OF simple righteousness. How many
there a re who bow the knee to what they
call the divine Christ. and yet they do
not seem to appreciate one truth which
that Christ uttered-"Blessed are thew
which do hunger and thirst after right
eousness, Cor they shall be filed They
do not seem TO see that the right life OF
obedience TO conviction is the best recon-
mendation of creed, is the best profess
sion. is the most potent missionary power,
is the best secret of church success. and
the only basis OF financial and secular
prosperity.
And it may be asked. what is the reason
for this obedience? Let me answer briefly:
The fundamental reason seems to me to be
found in the perception that it is the best,
50 that man may say as the supreme rea-
son for doing anything, 'sthis seems to me
the best and therefore the right" ODE
dience to this conviction is the secret of the
best intellectual development. The same
is true concerning our moral growth. The
man who obeys the present conviction Of
what is right. whether Hottentot or Phila-
delphan, is possessing at that moment the
highest virtue Of which he is capable at
that moment The Hottentot is exercising
the same powers that the Philadelphian is
in the same general direction; the powers
are growing by exercise, and not only in
creasng. but the power to use them is i'll
creasug. And if We were to conceive of
the whole human race for a single week
conforming unfiinch;ngly to this conviction
of what is right, you say there would be
many mistakes;' grant it all, and yet adj
hitting all the mistakes, are we not sure
would make greater progress morally than
il has during the last thousand years
The nobler man becomes intellectually,
the more capable he is of seeing nobility
peare to see a Shakespeare perfectly,
Milton to fully appreciate Milton. So the
nobler man becomes in simple righteous
ness, the more capable he is of seeing the
power which makes forrighteousness, which
is the supreme power in the universe. Was
it not spiritual genius that said, s'Blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall see
God?' And when you come to thorough
ly understand that mans life, do you not
have lifted in your mind man that Won
derfully and magnificently conformed to
his best conviction OF right? Was he not,
in other words, an ethical genius as well
as spiritual genius? And do we not see
an intimate and necessary connection
between the ethical superiority and the
spiritual superiority that which I'M
flinchngly did the best for man and that
which said ''blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God -
And certainly it is the secret of the best
enjoyment. 1t makes the heart strong to
bear the burdens. and to accomplish the
irksome tasks OF mankind. Is it not more
comfortable ? As certainly as the supreme
energy is in the conviction, is not that SUI
preme energy in the comfort thai results
from obedience to that eonyictions Is it
not divine comfort? And as it helps the
intellect and the heart, as it helps the en-
ioyment. so the man IS more useful. is as
useful as he can be when he conforms to
his conviction. 1t is as true as anything
in mathematics that we can do more good
by being good than in any other way.
l am acquainted with a lazy in this city;
she is about seventy. Sometime ago | met
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